Riding the Fader

Using a motorized fader to write automation is so much better than using a mouse. Sure, you can get by using a mouse. But, for that really professional touch, when automating the levels in a mix, you need to be able to “ride the fader.” This is the technique of shaping the dynamics of a performance through a series of detailed fader moves. In essence, the mix engineer/producer is hand tailoring the drama of the performance to match the flow of the song. For example, on a vocal track, pushing the level of a sustained note up instead of allowing it to fade out naturally, bringing up the level of a word that was a little too quiet, pushing down a phrase that was too loud, removing a lip smack, fixing sibilance, or creating the perception of a crescendo where previously there was none.

After I’ve written an initial level across an entire vocal track, I then enter the Touch automation mode. This mode will only write the automation for as long as my finger is on the motorized fader. I carefully listen through to my vocal track, and as I hear words and phrases that require level adjustments, I simply touch the fader and write the adjustments. This process is infinitely faster than trying to program hundreds of automation breakpoints using your mouse. (Ever try riding a mouse? I don’t recommend it.) Plus, riding the fader forces you to really use your ears and listen to exactly how the part sits in your mix, versus depending on your eyeballs to make level adjustments that you’re only guessing will be correct. When you ride a fader you’re getting real-time feedback about the part’s volume. Mixing is about what sounds best over your studio speakers, not what looks best on your computer screen.

Here’s a typical example of an automation level on a vocal part, written using a motorized fader. Don’t try programming these sort of detailed automation moves with a mouse.

The two big excuses I hear for not getting a control surface with motorized faders are cost and desktop real-estate. Thanks to a couple of innovative products, neither of these excuses holds any water. The PreSonus FaderPortand Frontier Design Group’s AlphaTrack are both diminutive control surfaces featuring a single motorized fader, a handful of knobs and buttons, and both work with all the foremost DAW programs available today (from Pro Tools to Sonar, just to name a couple). Best of all, their street price, $149 and $199, respectively. (Check out Sweetwater.com for those prices.)

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Erik Hawkins

Erik Hawkins is a composer, producer, remixer, and author whose talents and technical expertise have leaders in the music industry calling him a "taste maker." He has worked with and remixed a variety of top artists, including Scatman Crothers, Irene Cara, Digital Underground, Conscious Daughters, Strypper, Brenda Russell, and DJ Sasha. His own progressive dance music tracks have been used by major television networks and film studios, including ABC, CBS, FOX, MTV, Nickelodian, and New Line Cinema. His articles and columns have been published in Remix, Mix, Electronic Musician, MC2, Keyboard, and DigiZine. He has also written several books, including The Complete Guide to Remixing (Berklee Press), and Producing Drum Beats (Berklee Press). His Berklee Online course, Programming and Producing Drum Beats, won the UPCEA Best Online Course Award for 2011.